What Happened Next? - The Pixelator!
by callmeakumatized
Summary: The Sunshine Child attends his first rock concert! His temporary deafness only annoys Nino, but might have 'cat'-astrophic results for his love life. Marinette is trying. She's determined. She's riding on the high from Jagged Stone writing a song about her! But it only ends with her shouting a confession to the world, fruitlessly unheard by its intended. Ugh, why is love so hard!


What Happened Next? – The Pixelator!

As surprised as Adrien was that his father actually let him _go_ to Jagged Stone's rock concert, it was nothing to the shock he felt at the aftermath _of_ said concert. Adrien felt _awful_. His throat hurt, his ears rang, and he was constantly shouting at everyone because he couldn't hear his own voice. He'd been betrayed.

When he was finally able to pull himself into the school the next morning, Adrien beelined for Nino. He saw him coming out of the locker area, chatting with other classmates as if nothing abnormal had happened to them all the night before.

That punk should have warned him about the effects of live concerts.

Mid-angry-stride, Adrien's body halted when he spotted Marinette. She was…glowing. The playful chatter he admired was especially animated while she went on to Alya. Her cheeks were flushed, as if they were sunburned, a semi-permanent ruddy look tinging them that wasn't unattractive. He'd seen her blush – a _lot_ , really – but, since he didn't think she had actually seen him yet, he didn't think the color was due to embarrassment. The heat painted on her face seemed to radiate into her bright blue eyes; they were shining, almost feverish-looking. Adrien would have been concerned with the whole look of her, but she had the biggest smile on her face while talking to Alya; he doubted _anything_ could be wrong in her life at that moment.

What really caught him off guard was when those shining eyes caught onto him. They immediately seemed to shine even brighter, her whole face lighting up.

It took a substantial slap on the arm from Nino for Adrien to snap his attention away from Marinette's gaze. His curiosity was still peaked at the cause of it all, but Nino was trying to say something to him, and all his concentration was needed to comprehend just _what_ Nino was trying to say.

" _What?_ " Adrien repeated for the third time.

Nino grabbed onto his face with both hands, apparently exasperated. He added a dramatic eye roll to what Adrien could only assume was a groan. Kim and Max laughed heartily at the exchange. As Nino crossed his arms over his chest, seeming to be gearing to try his inquiry again, he abruptly stopped, mouth open. Adrien waited in anticipation. All the boys, however, were now wide-eyed and looking behind Adrien. Adrien cocked his head in confusion before Nino seemed to take pity on his temporary (he _hoped_ it was temporary) old-man hearing and grabbed Adrien's arm, whipping him around to the sight everyone was staring at.

A blue-haired, bright-eyed beauty stared smilingly up at him. She was standing directly in front of him, a slightly Ladybug-esque pose having taken over her body. Her fists were clenched at her side, shoulders rolled back, and a fierce edge pierced him through her eyes. Adrien instantly understood why the other three dudes hadn't been able to say anything.

(Or maybe they had, but he just couldn't _hear_ them.)

Marinette pursed her lips for a moment, inhaling deeply, before looking him straight in the eyes and saying something to him. The normal redness _he_ usually inspired in her cheeks appeared then. It made him feel warm…and the whole sight made him feel a little uncomfortable. Not in a bad way, really, just like…well, like when he went to the concert last night. It was something…new.

Exciting. A little scary.

And totally unknown.

Shy, stuttering Marinette was gone, and Adrien was melting under the stare of an embodied lightning bolt.

…Now if only he had heard what she said.

"W-What?" he finally stammered out. When Marinette seemed to deflate a little, he watched as her eyes flicked past him to Nino. Adrien matched her stare and saw Nino (why was _he_ red-faced too?) point to his own ears, explaining something to the pig-tailed princess. Marinette turned her gaze back to Adrien and Adrien met her eyes again, smiling a little abashedly, circling his toe on the ground a bit. His hands found refuge in his pockets. Marinette, however, seemed to be a little relieved.

"I…en…out…time?" Marinette tried again, outwardly louder than before, looking up with big, hopeful at him.

 _Er…what?_

He smiled again, _totally_ embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," Adrien yelled (he flinched when Marinette flinched, and Alya, and the twenty people in the near vicinity behind him flinched…ugh, this was going to be a long, crappy day). He tried to whisper-ish the next words. He didn't have to actually hear what he was saying, right? "Can you repeat that again? I can't hear you." The sound felt raspier than normal, burning against his already raw throat.

Alya put a hand to her mouth, body shaking. It looked like she was "coughing"…AKA, _laughing while trying to cover it up_. Adrien slouched a little, a bit defeated. Marinette, however, seemed a little more, well, _defiant_ than what she had been just a moment before. The determination was still alive in her expressions, but all semblance of smiling was gone. He felt like he was on the receiving end of one of Ladybug's hyper-effective plans. The feeling made him tense in readiness out of habit, feeling like he was about to be thrown.

Into a building, into a dragon's mouth, _off_ a building….

"ADRIEN!" Marinette suddenly shot out, eyes now closed, shouting up at him. It was the first clear voice he had heard all day. "I LOVE YOOO–" Her eyes shot open, shock written all over them. "–OOOUR HAIR. IT'S NICE."

Marinette, red-faced, started marching away from him at once, _and_ a laughing Alya, _and_ a giggling group of passersby.

Adrien could blinked.

What just happened?

By the time Marinette had reached the stairs to go up to the classroom, Adrien had cleared his head enough to realize that, unexpected or not, he had just received a compliment.

"THANKS, MARINETTE!" he yelled to her, waving a hand.

Marinette gave a two-finger salute without looking at him, going, as if it were possible, a deeper shade of puce. When Alya collapsed in laughter on the stairs behind Marinette on their way to the classroom, Marinette stomped back down to her and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her up and away from everyone else.

Adrien smiled to himself, a sigh floating out from him.

Marinette was so nice.

 _Fin!_


End file.
